Panel board wiring apparatus



Dec. 12, 1939. E c. w. JOHNSON 2,182,847

PANEL BOARD WIRING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1939 INVENTOR. farm/e0 (T M. Jo/r/vsom Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE PANEL BOARD WIRING APPARATUS Edward C. W. Johnson, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Scherer Electric Company, Indianapolis, Ind, a corporation Application February 2, 1939, Serial No. 254,214

2 Claims.

side of the board. Such practice requires that the boards be installed to give access to both sides of the board. In more modern practice the control units and the wiring have been mounted on the same side of the board with the banks of wires arranged in wiring lanes between the control units and with the wires each lying fiat against the board except where other wires are crossed. This method conserves floor space because access to the back of the board is not required but it adds greatly to the required surface area of the panel.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of means for wiring a panel board with both the control units and the wiring on the same side of the board but with little or no increase in panel board area over that required when the wiring is placed on the reverse side of the board. For this purpose wiring lanes are provided between the control units in which the wires may be mounted in banks extending outwardly from the board instead of lying flat against the same. At the intersections of the wiring lanes and at other convenient points on the board there are provided wire supporting units adapted to support the extending banks of wires. These units are so formed that each individual wire may travel straight through the intersections or may be given a change of direction as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire supporting unit adapted to secure the wires firmly in place to prevent abrasion and damage to the insulation from vibrations or other disturbances but which does not require that the individual wires be cleated directly to the board.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wiring system which may be conveniently and easily altered or added to as changes in the cir cuits may become necessary after installation.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion or" a panel board having a number of electrical control elements mounted thereon and having the wiring arranged in accordance with the invention. Fig.

2 is a perspective view of the parts forming one of the wire supporting units in the preferred form thereof. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are elevational views each showing the end of one of the wire supporting units and the manner of attaching wires thereto and each illustrat ing a diiierent alternative form of the wire supporting units.

In the drawing there is shown by way of illustration a panel board ill on which there are mounted a group of electrical control units H which may he magnetic relays, overload protecting units, manual switches or any one of a number of other elements used in the control of modern electrical apparatus. units are mounted with vertical In the drawing said and horizontal wiring lanes l2 and I3 extending therebetween.

At each of the intersections of these lanes there is mounted a wire supporting unit I 4 which is shown in detail in Fig. 2. The

units may be placed at other convenient .points in the wiring lanes than at the intersections continuous horizontal and verti but the use of cal lanes with I 3 extends through the board and by the nut l9, the pins 16 and I! is held in place extending out wardly from the board at substantially a right angle to the surface thereof.

When the unit is so mounted, the wires leading between the control units may be received between the pins l6 and I! as shown in particular in Fig. 3. An inspection of this figure shows that the wires may be run straight through as the wire 28 or may be given a right angle 2|. in Fig. 3, two vertical banks and turn as at wire When the five pins are positioned as shown two horizontal banks of wires may be accommodated by a single unit. The pins [6 and I! are made sufliciently long so that a large number of wires may be insorted in a single bank. The pins are positioned to engage diametrically opposite individual wires and the spacing b points on the etween the pins is chosen with relation to the diameter of the wires so that the insulation must be slightly compressed in placing the wires between two adjacent pins. The wires are thus held firmly in place without the necessity of screwed fastenings of any kind for the individual Wires.

When the full number of wires have been mounted on one of the units, a disc 22 having holes 23 closely engaging the pins is pressed over the same and against the outermost of the wires. The holes 23 are preferably made with a relatively tight fit on the pins to frictionally engage the same and prevent the wires from working loose. In certain cases, as when most of the wires in one bank make a turn, there may be fewer wires around one pin than around the rest, and in such case a smaller washer 2t having a single hole 25 may be pressed over the pin having the fewest Wires adjacent thereto and thus serves to hold these wires in place independently of the others. In many cases the smaller disc alone over the center pin is all that is necessary.

The type of construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 having five pins is a preferred form. useful for the majority of installations. However, when only a single bank of wires is required in each lane, four pins 26 arranged as shown in Fig. 4 may be used. In another arrangement shown in Fig. 5, four pins 2'! are used to give two banks of wires in each lane, but this arrangement lacks the advantage of having the wires engaged at diametrically opposite points between pins and is thus not as satisfactory in most cases as the types previously described. In Fig. 6 there is shown an arrangement of pins 23 providing three vertical and two horizontal banks of wires. Obviously the number of pins may be similarly multiplied to provide as many banks in each direction as desired.

From the foregoing specification it will be apparent that the wires may be easily and rapidly engaged with the supporting units and that changes and additions may be conveniently made at any time after installation. With the banks of wires extending normally to the surface of the board they occupy much less board area than when lying flat against the board. The saving in board space obtained by eliminating the necessity for access to the back of the board is obtained with little or no increase in the panel board area. At the same time the control units are easily accessible for adjustment and repair.

The foregoing specification describes the invention in a preferred form. The details, however, may obviously be varied without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In panel board wiring, a plurality of electrical units mounted on a panel board and having intersecting wiring lanes therebetween, and a group of pins mounted on said panel board at each of the intersections of said wiring lanes, said pins projecting substantially normally from said panel board and being positioned to engage diametrically opposite points on insulated wires extending in the directions of said wiring lanes, the spacing of said pins being slightly less than the outside diameter of said wires, whereby the insulation thereof is slightly compressed the insertion of the wires for holding the same firmly in place.

2. In panel board wiring, a plurality of electrical units mounted on a panel board and having intersecting wiring lanes therebetween, and a group of five pins mounted on the panel board at each of the intersections of said wiring lanes and projecting substantially normally therefrom, one of said pins in each group being located at the center of the group and the remaining four being spaced therefrom in the directions of the axes of said lanes sufficiently far to receive and retain a bank of wires therebetween.

EDWARD C. W. JOHNSON. 

